Klopp hails 'perfect' day at Cherries

LONDON • Jurgen Klopp described it as the perfect afternoon in Bournemouth after watching his Liverpool side cruise to a comfortable 3-0 away win and stretch their lead at the top of the Premier League to 14 points over champions Manchester City.

The visitors were in complete control going into the break after first-half strikes from Naby Keita, who was making his first league start of the season, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain before Mohamed Salah killed off any hopes of a fightback by the hosts on Saturday.

Calling the commanding victory the ideal preparation for tomorrow's Champions League visit to Red Bull Salzburg, where a point will guarantee the European champions passage into the last 16 of the competition, Klopp said: "Yes, it was (perfect), 100 per cent.

"We scored wonderful goals, we had more chances and did really well and we were really uncomfortable to play against.

"From 3-0 on, we controlled the game absolutely. The players didn't like it too much, they wanted to be really loud in these moments, but I didn't want to see any unnecessary risk. It was maybe not the most exciting but necessary."

It was Liverpool's 15th win from 16 league matches and it came with the bonus of a first clean sheet since September, while the Cherries have now lost five straight league games.

"I forgot actually how it feels to be honest," Klopp added. "It's great. That was the most used word when I came in the dressing room - clean sheet, clean sheet, clean sheet.

"Obviously, everybody was desperate for that and now we have it, so let's have it more often. The next game where a clean sheet would be useful is already around the corner, against Salzburg on Tuesday. It feels good."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 09, 2019, with the headline Klopp hails 'perfect' day at Cherries. Subscribe